BELTON, Texas (Fox 44) — C.A.S.T for kids gives people with special needs the chance to fish on a marina or lake and ride out on boats.

“Parents that don’t have the capabilities of being able to take their kids on a fishing boat or a boat in general, or that can get them down here and provide fishing poles for them,” coordinator Randi Bingham said.

This is Curtis Maronge’s 15th event this year.

“Whenever they have it, we sign up and we go,” Curtis’s mom Gracie Maronge said. “Because Curtis has so much fun with the fishing, meeting his friends, meeting new people, he’s never met a stranger.”

Gracie Maronge calls her son her miracle baby.

“They told me he wouldn’t be able to walk, talk and breathe, anything on his own,” Gracie Maronge said. “And now he can actually reel the fishing pole.”

She says this event means the world because once kids with special needs hit a certain age, there are not many activities out there for them.

“They age out of school, they age out of so many things,” Gracie Maronge said. “And this is a godsend for Curtis to be able to come out here.”

Meagan Jackson says these kids want the same interaction as anyone else, so don’t be afraid to talk to them. She says just saying hi can make all the difference.

“These kids are not any different than any other kid,” Jackson said. “You know, treat everybody the same. They may not be able to talk, but they are just a person, just like you are.”

Gracie Maronge hopes people will educate themselves and their kids and not be afraid.

“We still get the stares and the points, and Curtis can’t communicate very well,” Gracie Maronge said.

Bingham says this event gives kids and families who have similarities the chance to engage with one another.

To find more C.A.S.T for kids events, click here.